K-Pop Demon Hunters and the Spiritual Impact of Art
I know I’m not the only Christian writer drooling to write about K-Pop Demon Hunters, but I couldn’t not say something, as an arts minister:
This movie is the best illustration I’ve ever seen of the spiritual consequences of good art.
If you haven’t seen it, the Huntr/x girls are literally spiritual leaders (Korean shamans) who use their songs to fight demons and protect the public. Generations of successful shaman girls have boosted our protagonists to the point of sealing the demon world forever…until an opposing boy band appears.
This demon boy band is the first time hell has an advantage—because they’re really good at singing, dancing, and writing.
As Francis Schaefer wrote in Art and the Bible: “We should realize that if something untrue or immoral is stated in great art, it can be far more destructive and devastating...”
“Great art” gave Huntr/x (and their predecessors) the power to seal hell. But demons imitating their “great art” is unbelievably destructive.
The boys create demon openings as they sing about the need to consume others (Soda Pop) or about their power over others (Your Idol); the girls create demon barriers when they sing songs about hopeful potential (Golden) and freedom from shame (What it Sounds Like).
As artists of faith, there are three major takeaways from this.
1) It matters what your art “says” spiritually.
I used to write plays unthinkingly. It was fun to play with characters and imagine scenarios. Then, I realized my art was engaging with spirituality. Even a silly play about a wish-granting fairy was really asking the question “when does sovereignty triumph over free will?”
When I realized there were spiritual battles happening in my art, I had to ask myself… What was I saying?
I realized that despite my faith, I struggled with believing that God cared about human experience. I was writing that free will wasn’t really free will.
So then I tackled the spiritual battle in a different play. In the new work, I acknowledged what I was actually asking, and I wrestled until I arrived at a more nuanced truth: Free will has to work in an intricate way within God’s sovereignty. This play shows some things happening despite human will, and some happening because of them, but it ultimately shows that there is something beautiful about a grace we did not fully choose.
I’m not encouraging anyone to make only gospel tract art. I’m just asking you to make mindful art. What spiritual impact are you making?
In other words, acknowledge your spiritual leadership as an artist. Which leads me to my second point…
2) The quality of your art directly affects the impact of your art.
The demon boy band could’ve sang some bad songs, and no one would’ve cared. They’re only a force to be reckoned with because they’re good. They’ve apparently spent generations preparing.
Is your art so good that it’s a force to be reckoned with?
When I think of actors who transform the cast or crew they’re with, I think of those who are both excellent and hard-working to keep achieving greater excellence. Not just people who rely on the sense that God “downloaded” an idea into them, but ones who see themselves as collaborators, working hard with God on that idea. They have shown me: The better I am, the greater my impact will be.
And what we’re aiming for is great impact, not large impact. We don’t need to be as famous as K-Pop bands to change lives.
3) Don’t underestimate the impact of art-making on yourself.
Consider when the Huntr/x girls wrote a song motivated by hatred. They want to take down the demon boys, so they write a diss track, insulting them. Even before anyone else had heard it, it already negatively impacted their own spirits. Take care with the art you’re making and notice how it’s shaping your own inner life, because it might be revealing how it will affect anyone else.
Now, you might be wondering: How in the world did you get to all of these huge conclusions from a kid’s movie?
In fact, I only see these truths because of Scripture. God highlighted the spiritual power of artists from the very beginning. The first recorded instance that the Holy Spirit ever dwelled on people is in Exodus 31:1-6:
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him…”
This is a way bigger deal than people realize. Before Jesus, God’s Spirit couldn’t really rest on anything. There was no one pure and no place pure enough.
He really mostly dwelt in the tabernacle, which was…
Drum roll please…
…designed by these Spirit-filled artists!
The Spirit of God lived on the artist so they could make spaces for God to be welcome.
And that’s your calling, too.
Isn’t that incredible? You’re an artist. You’re a spiritual leader! God wants to do something through you.
And if you need to see an illustration of what this could mean, watch K-Pop Demon Hunters.
We exist to help artists in this incredible mission. So if you ever need to talk to anyone about it, feel free to reach out!
